Duty Calls
by SolarRose29
Summary: Civil War Spoilers! Steve recruits Clint.
_It turns out, having a fever is actually good for me. I get to stay home from work and write fanfic!_

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The sharp trilling of his cell phone catapulted Clint upright in bed. As the blanket slid off his bare torso, he shivered in the night air coming through the open window. Insistent, his phone rang again and Clint glared at it when Laura shifted beside him.

"Okay, you better be the president of the United States or you're going to get an earful from a very unhappy Barton," Clint grumbled, stretching out his hand to snatch the cell off the bedside table.

He raised an eyebrow at the caller id. "Close enough," he muttered, before answering. "Hey, what's up? Is the world about to end?"

Laura sat up beside him, tugging the sleeves of her sleep shirt over her wrists when she left the warmth of the bed covers. "Who is it?" she questioned softly.

"Cap," Clint mouthed.

Laura frowned in concern. "Is everything okay?"

"I'm so sorry to wake you, Clint," Steve immediately apologized.

Clint shrugged at his wife. "Oh no. You're fine. I actually like being abruptly pulled from sleep at," he glanced at the clock, "three a.m." He blinked at the numbers and shook his head.

"Sorry," Steve repeated. "But this is important."

"What is it this time? Aliens? Robots? Nazi organized crime? Corrupt government secret agencies?" Clint guessed.

"Pretty close," Steve ruefully conceded.

He sighed then and Clint could hear the exhaustion in his voice.

"It turns out, Bucky isn't the only Winter Soldier."

Clint cocked his head. "What?"

"In 1944, Bucky was captured by Hydra. They experimented on him and-" Steve began.

Eager to save Steve from having to recount the terrible story, knowing how painful it was for the captain, Clint interrupted him. "I know what happened to him. I meant, what do you mean he's not the only one?"

"They made more. Hydra stole more serum and turned some of their best assassins into super soldiers," Steve explained hurriedly.

"How do you know this?" Clint inquired, trying to wrap his brain around the fact that there were other homicidal, practically unstoppable, humans at large.

"Bucky told me," Steve informed him.

Clint held up a hand. "Whoa. Hold on. Bucky's with you?"

"Of course," Steve replied, as if it was the most natural arrangement in the world.

"And he's not trying to beat you to a pulp?" Clint asked skeptically. "Because Nat told me about the last time you and him were together. And I gotta say, the outcome wasn't very pretty."

"No. He's better now. He's fixed," Steve answered, a little too quickly in Clint's opinion.

Unwilling to argue with Steve, Clint changed the subject. "Alright, so what are we going to do about these freaks?"

"You know, Clint, just because someone has serum in their blood, it doesn't make them a freak," Steve reminded, amusement in his tone.

"Sorry, I didn't mean you." Clint rolled his eyes. "But seriously, what's your plan?"

"They have to be stopped," Steve stated.

"I kinda got that. I meant how," Clint amended, rolling out of bed and exchanging his pajama bottoms for a pair of jeans.

"They're being kept in a facility somewhere in Siberia," Steve told him.

"Neat. Road trip," Clint quipped, feeling Laura's eyes on him.

"That's actually part of the problem." Steve sighed again and Clint could picture him pinching the bridge of his nose. "Stark won't let us go."

Clint shook his head. "You guys really are a mess," he whispered.

"What's that?" Steve questioned, not having heard the whisper.

"Nothing," Clint cleared his throat. "So where do I come in?" he queried.

"Clint, I need you to understand something," Steve's voice dropped, his tone somber. "If you do this, and I'm not saying you have to, but if you do this, you'll be going against the law. This is mission is unsanctioned and any help you give me could be counted as an act of treason."

Turning over his shoulder, Clint locked eyes with his wife. She nodded the tiniest bit, unaware of their conversation but recognizing the look on his face. "In my book, it'd be treason not to," Clint stated resolutely.

"Are you sure?" Steve questioned. "You have to think about your family-"

"I'm sure," Clint declared. "I have to keep them safe. And if stopping maniacal, juiced-up assassins, against government orders, is what it takes, then that's what I'll do."

"Thank you, Clint," Steve said, the quiet sincerity in his words acknowledgement of Barton's sacrifice.

Clint reached out and clasped hands with Laura, his gaze locked on her. "Where do you want to meet?"

Steve gave him the name of the airport he hoped to depart from before adding, "But you'll need to make another stop first."

"Oh yeah? Where's that?" Clint queried.

"The Compound," Steve said.

"What do you need me to get?" Clint asked, finally letting go of Laura's hand so he could grab his boots.

"Wanda," Steve replied.

Clint froze in the act of tying the laces. "She won't help you voluntarily?" he questioned, unable to believe it.

"No, Stark's got her locked up in there," Steve bit out.

"Why?" Clint breathed, imagining Wanda imprisoned in her own home.

"He thinks he's protecting her but he's only making things worse!" Steve exclaimed.

"Yeah, I'll only be too happy to get her out of there," Clint promised, tugging a shirt over his head.

There was a pause on the other end of the line before Steve spoke again. "It won't be easy. Stark's got Vision on guard duty."

"Oh." Clint pursed his lips. He began removing his everyday clothes, realizing he was going to need his Avengers uniform.

"Can you handle him?" Steve questioned out of concern for Clint's safety, rather than doubt of his abilities.

Throwing wide the doors of his closet, Clint plucked his bow and quiver from their place. "I've got a few tricks up my sleeve."

"Be careful, Clint," Steve murmured.

"I'm always careful," Clint returned nonchalantly, dressing in his uniform.

"Alright, I'll see you-" Steve began.

"Wait, let me talk to him a second." Clint could hear another voice in the background, then there was a rustling audible over the line as the phone changed hands. "What's up, Robin Hood?"

Clint rolled his eyes. "Really, Sam? Robin Hood? Is that the best you've got?"

"Come on, you know you love it," Sam ribbed.

"If all you're going to do is flirt, you might as well give the phone back to Steve," Clint teased.

"Haha, very funny," Sam said, the sarcasm obvious in his voice. "Listen up, William Tell."

"Technically, he had a crossbow. It's not the same thing," Clint interrupted.

"Why do you even know that?" Sam questioned incredulously.

"You brought it up, man," Clint pointed out.

"Never mind. Let's get serious," Sam dismissed. "I'm going to need you to make a stop on your way here."

"Get in line. Cap's already sending me on an errand," Clint mock grumbled.

"Then think of yourself as our own private taxi service," Sam recommended brightly.

Knowing he had no choice in the matter, Clint simply asked, "Who else will I be chauffeuring?"

"Guy by the name of Scott Lang," Sam answered.

"A friend of yours?" Clint raised an eyebrow.

"I wouldn't say friend," Sam hedged.

"But you want me to bring him in anyway," Clint finished for him.

"He'll help," Sam added.

"Alright, that's good enough for me," Clint said. "Where is he?"

Sam gave him the address and a few final instructions before ending the call. Clint exhaled and set his phone back on the table.

"You're leaving." Laura didn't even bother to ask it as a question.

Clint walked around the bed and sat down beside her. "Yeah, baby. Cap needs my help." He rubbed his palm up and down her arm.

"What about your trip tomorrow? You know how much Francis has been looking forward to it. And Lila too," Laura objected.

Clint bit his lip. "I know. But hey, tell them we're just rescheduling, okay?"

Raising an eyebrow, Laura looked at him skeptically.

"I'll be back, okay? I promise." Clint leaned forward and placed a kiss on her cheek.

"When does it end, Clint?" Laura whispered.

He drew back slowly, knitting his eyebrows together. "What do you mean?"

"This whole...running off to save the world thing." Laura flapped a hand through the air.

"We've talked about this," Clint reminded.

Laura sighed, her shoulders slumping. "I know. I just worry about you."

"I'm going to be fine. Cap's got my back. You know he won't let anything happen to me," Clint grinned.

A small smile appeared on Laura's mouth in response to his confidence.

"Alright, I got to go now," Clint announced.

He leaned in once more, locking lips with Laura before climbing to his feet. Gathering his gear, he prepared to leave the bedroom but paused in the doorway.

"Water-skiing this weekend, okay? You can hold me to that," he reassured his wife, pointing a finger at her.

Laura smiled at him fondly. "At least say goodbye to the kids before you leave."

Clint nodded. "Yes, ma'am."

He crept down the hallway to his children's room. Carefully, he eased the door open and slipped inside. As he moved into the room, he felt something snap beneath one of his boots and he winced, wondering which toy had come to an unfortunate end. Dismissing the thought, he stepped to the crib and bent over the bars.

"Bye-bye, Nathan," he murmured, stroking a hand over Nathaniel's soft curls.

Moving to the bunk beds he had just finished assembling a few days ago, Clint was able to easily reach the top bunk, where he lightly kissed Francis on the forehead. "See you, buddy. Don't worry, we'll still get to go on our little outing. It'll just be a bit later than we planned, that's all," he whispered to his slumbering son.

He crouched down until he was level with the bottom bunk. Just as he was about to kiss Lila, she blinked up at him. "Daddy?"

"Hey there, sweetheart," Clint greeted softly, rising and sitting on the edge of her bed.

"What's going on, Daddy?" she questioned drowsily. "Why are you wearing your superhero outfit?"

"Daddy's got to go on another mission," Clint explained.

"Are you going to help Aunt Nat?" Lila asked.

"Well, not quite," Clint replied, knowing that since Natasha had already signed the Accords, she was unable to go to Siberia with them.

"Are you going to help Captain Steve?" Lila queried next.

"Yes, I am," Clint answered, reaching out and moving a loose strand of hair away from her face. "Now go back to sleep, honey. I'll be back soon."

She obediently closed her eyes as he tugged the blankets up closer to her chin and kissed her forehead. Lifting himself from the bed, he crossed to the other side of the room, wary of the scattered toys, books and laundry littering the floor. Right before shutting the door, he took one more look around the bedroom, memorizing the sight of his sleeping children. Laura was waiting for him in the hallway. They shared one final kiss before he descended the stairs and walked out the front door.

* * *

 _My little niece refers to Captain America as Captain Steve-so that was a shout out to her!_


End file.
